Multi-factor authentication is an approach to computerized security procedures that requires the user to provide more than one form of verification to prove their identity in order to gain access to sensitive data or computer systems. Commonly-used forms of verification include knowledge-based verification data (e.g., something the user knows, such as a password or Personal Identification Number), token-based verification data (e.g., something the user has, such as a private key, security token or smart card), and biometric data (e.g., a physiological or behavioral characteristic of the user). More recently, efforts have been undertaken to continuously authenticate the user to increase the security of sensitive data or computer systems.
Existing network security infrastructures typically utilize one or more network authentication protocols such as, for example, Kerberos to authenticate users and control which network resources users are permitted to access. To do so, many of these network security infrastructures include one or more authentication components, which are often well-established systems within the network infrastructure. Such authentication systems, however, do not support continuous user authentication. Further, modifying existing authentication systems to include additional functionally can be costly and error prone.